You Have to Try These Scary Good Beer and Halloween Candy Pairings

When your kid comes home with a sack full of sweets, you might have to 'confiscate' some to try these pairings for yourself

By Jonathan Ortiz

Published: 10/28/2016

uropek8/Fotolia

Let’s face it, if you share a living space with a child they’re going to be jumping off the walls after the inevitable post-trick-or-treat candy binge. On the plus side there will probably be a ton of candy left over for you to munch on yourself, and this year craft beer and Halloween candy pairings have become quite the trend. Besides the fact that enough beers will make anything taste good, it turns out the broad spectrum of flavors craft beer has to offer makes finding a perfect candy complement quite easy, and fun. To get you started on your candy-beer pairing adventure, we asked a few local experts to give us their idea of the perfect union.

Pairing: This kettle soured saison from Yonkers Brewing is infused with a host of refreshing fruits, like mango, guava, tangerine, nectarine, and red plum, which owner and ”BrewEO” John Rubbo says makes a great pairing with Dots. In an attempt to spark some childhood nostalgia, he likens the beer to “a Fruit Roll-Up,” which means pairing it with the classic gumdrop candies should satisfy any hardcore sweet tooth.

Pairing: This one is for the coconut fiends. Keegan Ales’ Brewmaster, Tommy Keegan, says a bite from either an Almond Joy or Mounds candy bar creates a rich-creamy combo with a swig of their Ales’ Joe Mama’s Milk Stout. The concoction of milk stout, brown sugar, and coffee from Monkey Joe’s Roasting Co. is sure to pleasantly complement any coconut-y treat, but those fun-sized Almond Joys always find their ways into your kids’ candy bags somehow.

Pairing: Adam Sainsbury, of Tarrytown’s The Oath Craft Beer Sanctuary, tells us that a Mallo Cup, with its signature creamy marshmallow center, works perfectly when matched with a nice, creamy stout. Butternut’s Moo Thunder Stout has some dark chocolate-y notes itself, perfect for those looking for a Willy-Wonka chocolate-river-type experience.

Pairing:CH Evans Brewing’s Brewmaster Scott Veltman was aiming for a crowd pleaser when he thought about this one. Ommegang’s Three Philosophers has hints of cherry, a result from the Kriek added pre-boil, which are enhanced with the help of a rich 80 to 88 percent dark chocolate. This dark ruby quadruple-style beer sits at a hefty 9.7% ABV, but alongside the addicting nature of dark chocolate, we wouldn’t blame you if you binged on this one.